The Reality Capture of Ellis Island

Chapter 1: Hurricane takes a hit on history

Author: Justin Barton, June 2016

For 62 years, New York Bay’s small Ellis Island was the United States’ first and primary immigration inspection centre, processing more than 12 million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. Today, the island with its Main Immigration Building and many ancillary structures is a U.S. National Monument and receives 3.5 million plus visitors annually as part of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).

Hurricane takes a hit on history

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy bombarded the East Coast of the United States and swept over Ellis Island with fierce winds and tidal surges upward of nearly 4.3 metres. Damage was sustained throughout the National Monument, including the already dilapidated Georgian Revival hospital buildings from 1900-1909, the Main Immigration Building and the 1950s park housing. Basements of nearly every structure were flooded.

The historic park housing is now slated for demolition due to the extent of the damage. Basic infrastructure like electric, sewer and phone systems was destroyed while brick pedestrian pathways were ripped up from the ground.